Snake
by Kraven Ergeist
Summary: Ed and Al have a mission on the other side of the gate that involves great risk, and they don't have the advantage of alchemy. But all is not lost as an old friend shows up to help. Post Shambala. Al x Marta, Ed x Noah. CH 4 IS UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Full Metal Alchemist Fan Fiction**

**Snake**

By Kraven Ergeist

Alphonse Elric really couldn't complain. It was an interesting world he now lived in. It had a few things that were different, a few things that were the same. The same people walked under the same sky. Everybody did the same things. They had grew up and got jobs. They made love and war. They got married and had families. And they all died at the end of it all.

Of course, the differences were as profound as the similarities. There were different Gods. There were different languages. There were different foods and clothes and cultures. Valid contrivances, all of them - just…different.

Al couldn't have said he didn't miss the things he'd left behind in his old world. His home. Winry, Rose, all the people he used to know. All the memories that had once been so faint to him, would now be the last keepsakes he would ever have of that world. But he had his brother. That was what was important.

He did miss alchemy though, even while a part of him was glad to be rid of it. He had studied it all his life – and while studying alchemy also involved hard understanding of chemistry, physics, biology, calculus, engineering, and many other studies that would still be useful to draw upon in this world – to not be able to capitalize on or much less even use the one field of study you had devoted your life to and been so good at…

He definitely missed alchemy. But his other knowledge and skills would see him through. Especially sticking with Edward, who must have known twice as much as he did. The fields of science in this world were about on par with that of their old world – it had a few things theirs didn't, and vice versa, but were more or less balanced – and two brothers who were as versed as they were would have no problem finding a place in the world.

Especially on a quest like theirs.

Al sighed. Saving the world, one scientific misdemeanor at a time. His brother had devised a plan to keep science from getting out of hand. They'd move to urban areas, where universities produced some of the world's finest scientific minds, or find some of the older, more experienced minds out in the rural areas, tinkering with whatever they could come up with to bide their time. It honestly astonished Al to think on the number of dangerous items a single creative mind could concoct. The number of labs he and Edward had sabotaged, either from inside – playing the role of eager young lab techs – or out, using their more devious background, or hired help, to break, enter and destroy whatever the world didn't need to see for another couple of decades.

Alphonse switched his grocery bag to his other hand. Day two in Paris France, and he'd eluded more piles of canine excrement on the streets than he cared to count. The city had its sights to be sure, but it had an underbelly that reeked of urine and bad cheese. And the housing was tiny, not that he really minded. As transients, moving from place to place, a week in a crappy apartment was a good week. They could just as easily sleep on a train or under a bridge or in a hay cart for all their luck.

"Oof!"

No, it was not the low class housing or the smell of rotten fish, or the panhandlers and prostitutes on the streets who might as soon rob you as rip you off that bothered Alphonse Elric as much as what came careening into him at that moment, knocking the paper bag he carried to the street, depositing its contents of baguettes, cheese and link-sausage all over the dirty city streets.

"Hey, watch it shrimp!"

Ordinarily, Alphonse would apologize in such a situation, but his brother had warned him ahead of time about Paris – never trust a passerby on the street who just happens to run into you. Chances are, you've already been mugged.

"Hey, wait!" Alphonse got quickly to his feet and followed deftly after the stranger who had so carelessly knocked him over.

The passerby quickly turned a corner, and Al caught a quick glimpse of blonde hair. Leaving his soiled groceries behind, he followed after him as he turned a corner, clearly running. Alphonse cursed, quickly patting down his pockets. His pocketbook was gone. Damn it, this wasn't what he signed up for when he came to this city! He and his brother split their cumulative funds down the middle – the thief was about to get away with half their money for their entire trip!

He spotted the patch of blond and followed the pickpocket across the street, dodging passing motorcars that blared their horns in alarm. He ignored them, bolting after the thief, crying out "Arrette! Arrette!" the French word for stop.

The thief didn't stop. Instead, he turned another corner, and Al followed after him just in time to see him barrel up the inner corner of a building to grab the ledge of the drainpipes and scramble onto the rooftop.

Al cursed under his breath. This is the kind of situation he really missed using alchemy for. If he could, he could have easily trapped the thief in a stone grip or turned the walls to sand. Something!

Instead, he had to mimic the move and rappel up the perpendicular walls to try for the ledge. Alphonse wasn't an athlete by any stretch of the term, and it was by sheer blind luck that he even managed to get a grip on the drainpipe. The sharp metal grate cut into his hands and he winced. But he held on. Grimacing as blood dripped down his wrists, he managed to get his elbows up onto the rooftop.

"You must really want this back, huh?"

Alphonse nearly fell. The taunting voice looming above him was distinctly familiar – and feminine.

When he looked up, he saw Marta dangling his pocketbook over his head like a cat-toy.

Then he really did fall, a pile of trash his only buffer against the hard ground. He barely felt it. His eyes were still focused on Marta's face as she winced, mockingly.

"Oooh…bad fall…"

Alphonse was still stunned. It was Marta! How could she be here now!? She was dead! He'd seen her die! He'd _felt_ her die inside of his armored body all those years ago!

Wait…Ed had told him about this. Some people's faces crossed over the gate! They had no knowledge or basis for their other worldly counterparts. Just their faces.

"M…Marta…"

The woman standing on the rooftop above him either didn't hear him or didn't care. As if to spite him, her attention was fully on his pocket book, rummaging through it.

"Alphonse Heidrich, hmm?" she said absently, glancing at his card. "You here on vacation? Here to see the wonder and beauty of Paris? Bet this wasn't in your plans, huh? Life sure sucks sometimes."

She plucked the money out of the pocketbook and folding it up, tossing it back down at him, landing unceremoniously on his chest.

"Better luck next time…" she winked at him, before dashing out of sight.

Alphonse couldn't get up. He couldn't even take hold of his now money-less pocketbook he was so stunned. That had been Marta! She looked exactly the same! With the exception of her tattoo and hunting knife, she was a spitting image! She still wore a black tank top and army pants! Her hair even looked the same! Everything about her was just…

Alphonse caught his breath and picked up his pocket book. She had only taken the money – his cards, travel papers, and everything else were still in there, which was a silver lining, he supposed. His papers were all to Alphonse Heidrich – since coming, he'd adopted his erstwhile otherworldly counterpart's identity, having already being in good academic standing, which was easier and more convenient than forging an identity out of scratch. It had taken over a year to match Heidrich's expertise on rocketry so he could account for any knowledge he'd be expected to have.

Alphonse got to his feet and brushed himself off and absently slipped his pocketbook into his coat. His thoughts were still on Marta. She was alive! Seeing her like this made him feel so nostalgic. She even had her same smart mouth she always used to have. But remembering how she'd died…it tore at his heart. She'd been inside of him – a _part_ of him almost! And even though _he _had been the one stabbed…the blade had cut Marta. She bled through him, as though he was bleeding her blood. She had died inside of him, through him, as he had been made to feel the pain of death, but not die, to feel the fear, the helplessness as the living flesh and blood inside of him turned cold.

He wanted to follow her, let her know everything was alright, that he was sorry for…

Alphonse shook his head. No, she wasn't Marta. Not really. She wasn't the same person. Her memories were all her own. Even if the Marta he knew would have looked at him, and been surprised that the suit of armor had become this unassuming blond haired kid…this one wouldn't. She just saw him as another passerby on the street, an unlucky victim for her to leech off of to try to get by.

It broke his heart, to suddenly see her again, only to be splashed in the face with the realization that she was still dead, and this other was just a face.

Like the homunculus, Sloth.

Alphonse turned to go. He'd had his fill of doppelgangers. He had seen his mother impersonated and succumbed to her childishly. He would not do the same for Marta, unwitting temptress though she may be, he would not allow her to play with his feelings.

Never again.

Empty handed and broke, he made his way to their apartment.

xxxxx

Ed sighed.

"Al…didn't I tell you not to travel with all your money in the same pocket? Always keep it divided – either in a spare wallet or at home. Otherwise, this sort of thing can happen."

Al sighed, biting his lip. "I understand, Nii-san."

Ed shook his head. They had been living out of a suitcase for the better part of a year, going from place to place, and the constant shift in their surroundings wasn't good for either of their nerves. True, they had done the same thing back home, but at least then, they always had the assurance in the back of their minds that they at least _had_ a home to go back to.

Ed and Al sat at what sufficed as a kitchen table in their apartment. It was also the dining room table, living room table, and bedside table, as it was the only table in the entire complex. Splitting the rooms up meant every room was a bedroom, and both brothers had to fold up what served as their bed each morning. This was, of course, because Noah got the only actual bed in the entire apartment.

"Well, I didn't have much to work with, but I think I fixed _something_ edible," the dark skinned gypsy girl said as she carried out a steaming pot. "When in doubt, make soup. It should hopefully keep you guys going for the night."

Alphonse winced at the mention of their lack of foodstuffs. "I'm so sorry, Noah! If I hadn't lost our groceries…"

"Don't worry about it, Al," Noah smiled. "Trust me, I've kept more people fed on a lot less than what we've got. Believe me, we are _far_ from living meager lives."

Noah had been traveling with Ed and Al throughout their journey through Western Europe since they left the caravan. The others had been sad to see her go, but Noah had been adamant. The brothers' mission followed near enough to a nomadic lifestyle that it really wasn't that big of a change for her, and she had taken it upon herself to look after Alphonse and Edward as well as make up for what they had been through, and her part in it all.

In the beginning, she had been more focused on Al, some part of her still believing that it was her chance to make up for things after Heinrich's death. But along the way, Al noticed, her attentions had been shifting more and more towards his brother. All of which he had all but failed to noticed, of course.

Al sighed.

"So, everything set for tonight?" Noah asked.

Ed nodded. "Most of it. Though I'm really going to have to scrape our funds together if we hope to make a decent bargain."

Al bowed, nearly dipping his hair into his soup bowl. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Calm down!" Ed chided. "We all learn from our mistakes. Next time, be more careful."

Alphonse frowned. Though he'd told Ed about being pick-pocketed, he didn't mention that the perpetrator had a very familiar face.

"What about those stones we picked up from Spain a few months ago?" Noah offered. "We could bargain with those."

Ed frowned. "Those things? They're minerals, might as well be fool's gold – not worth a thing."

Noah shrugged. "So? A band of brigands might not know the difference."

Ed shook his head. "An unprofessional band of brigands, maybe. But pros know what to look for – they know what's valuable and what's not. It's more than likely they'd be able to spot fakes. And trying to pull the wool over their eyes might not put us in good standing."

Noah sighed. "I see…"

Alphonse groaned. "Why are we hiring mercenaries again, Nii-san?"

Ed sighed. As mature as Al had grown, he was still such a kid sometimes. Sitting back, Ed withdrew a black and white photograph and set it down on the table.

Al and Noah stared hard at it, noticing some kind of oversized vehicle with treads instead of wheels, and what looked like armor plating and a triangular shaped nose that looked like it could ram through a brick wall.

"This," Ed said grimly. "Is called the Schneider Chassis. It's an armored vehicle, designed to turn the tide on the war everyone feels is yet to come. It's still in pre-production, this is just a prototype. If this thing gets put on the factory line, it'll change the shape of warfare as we know it. What I'm planning to do is break into the facility where this abomination is housed and destroy it, along with all the plans."

Noah and Al looked at their companion nervously.

"You've actually been planning something on this scale?" Al quipped. "Nii-san…overlooking the fact that this could easily be called terrorism…you're talking about taking a government facility and destroying it! Nii-san, we're pacifists, not revolutionaries! We can't just destroy every piece of modern technology that comes out! This is going too far!"

"And besides," Noah added. "This is more dangerous than anything you've ever done! The farthest you've gone is wrecking a lab, where the only thing at stake was property damage and maybe a small chemical fire! You're talking about an armed raid against a military facility! Have you completely lost your mind? There's no way you'll be able to pull this off!"

Ed grinned. "I won't be joining this raid. None of us will. That's why we're hiring mercenaries. We find a group that's capable, experienced, and more importantly, has reason to want to disempower France's military. We give them a description of what we want to destroy, pay them well, and get out of dodge before it gets back to us. It couldn't be simpler. And if they fail, well, we can always find another group."

Al found it a little disturbing how nonchalantly Ed was taking this.

So did Noah. "Ed, you can't do this!"

"Why?" Ed frowned. "If this goes off without a hitch, no one's going to be hurt. The government will be down one facility, and there'll be one less piece of dangerous technology in the world."

"And if things go awry, think of how many people could be killed!" the gypsy grabbed him by the shoulders. "Ed, think about this! This isn't something you want to do!"

"Ed…" Al interrupted before Ed could rebuke her. Noah may be head over heels for him, but Al knew how his brother ticked. "How many mercenary groups would be crazy enough to take a job like this? Even if we could find a group that was willing, there'd be no _way_ we could afford it!"

Al was just as opposed to this as Noah, but unlike Noah, he knew the only way to make Ed see the futility of his approach was to put it in a practical perspective.

Or so he thought.

"As luck would have it…" Ed smirked. "I've found just such a group…"

xxxxx

The Boise de Boulogne, the massive wooded area to the northwest of Paris was a little eerie at this time of night. Prostitutes and opium addicts lined the streets. The police who came their practically ignored the riffraff simply for their sheer numbers. It was the perfect place to hold a meeting that might ultimately end bloody.

"Who exactly did you find for this job, Nii-san?" Alphonse shivered in the night. The snug jacket he'd brought did little to stave off the cold chill of the wind, and Noah threw shame to the wind and huddled as close to Edward as was legally allowed in public. Strictly for warmth, of course.

"You'll see," Ed smiled, knowingly. "I found a group of ex-soldiers from Germany's _Reichsheer_ from the World War, all very eager to put France its place after their surrender at _Compiègne_, and for a very reasonable price."

Alphonse offered a helpless look to Noah, who just frowned and bit her lip. It had seemed like a good idea at the time to question the feasibility of Ed's plan, but now that seemed to be coming into fruition…

"Don't take another step!" a voice came out from within the trees.

Al and Noah jerked in surprise. Edward, for his part, just raised his hands calmly.

"Peace, Geiz…" he said, nonchalantly. "You don't want to shoot your financier, do you?"

Alphonse did not feel in any way unjustified in backing up a few steps when he saw the face that emerged from the darkness. Noah looked equally afraid, and she didn't even recognize him.

Al did.

It was Greed - or at least, this world's version of Greed (or more precisely, the human he'd been intended to be). He wore a set of aviator glasses, bigger than the one's he'd worn in their old world, but somehow scarier. He still wore fur around his collar, ironically, although this time it was bound to a brown leather jacket instead of a vest. The most prominent difference, however, was the lit cigar that dangled carelessly in his mouth - that and the Mauser rifle hanging from his shoulder.

"You're the kids that wants us to blow up the French military complex?" Geiz said in a heavy German accent.

Ed smiled. "Whether or not the facility blows up is irrelevant to me. What I want destroyed lies _in_ the facility. If you can't get to _that_, there's no deal."

Geiz took a puff from his cigar. "You want us to blow a base, we blow up a base. You want us to blow up the Eiffel Tower, we blow up the Eiffel Tower. If it lies within France, we blow up whatever you want us to blow up."

Al and Noah just gulped.

"What I wanted 'blown up' is this…" Ed handed Geiz the photograph of the Schneider Chassis. "And all records pertaining to it. It can't be allowed to assist the French in the upcoming war."

Ed grinned, seeing that his words had captured the mercenary's attention. He was speaking like a German nationalist – in truth, he could care less which side won the war (if there would even be one – which he honestly doubted) so long as the number of casualties weren't increased by science and technology.

Greed – Geiz – smiled at the photograph. "This here…this is French military weapon?"

Edward nodded. "The Kaiser already has the plans. What we need from you is to ensure the French can't fight on equal ground."

More nationalistic lies. Edward was honestly surprised at how readily he was pulling these out of his hat. As it was, he almost made it sound like he was a German spy hiring outside help. For the world's sake, he hoped that's what Geiz believed – if Greed's look-alike got it in his head that it would be useful to steal the plans for Germany – or any other country – this whole operation was moot.

Geiz continued smiling at the picture, his teeth still sharpened to fangs in this world.

Ed shivered. Keep cool. Don't let on that you recognize him. Keep cool.

Geiz snapped his fingers and there was a rustling in the bushes.

"The facility you speak of is…to the west, yes?"

As he spoke, figures began to emerge from the woods.

"Yes…" Ed nodded. "In France's main military complex in _La Defense_."

One by one, the figures emerged from the woods, some carrying Mauser rifles, others carrying bayonets. One appeared to be carrying a flamethrower.

"I would like you to meet my comrades," Geiz said, gesturing to the brigands that stepped into view. "Once you've seen them, you will have no doubt in our abilities."

They were an assorted rabble, somewhat military, but were unkempt in a very unprofessional manner that simply screamed mercenary.

"Bido…"

A bald man stepped out carrying a Mauser rifle.

"Loa…"

A large man in a full jacket emerged carrying a sledgehammer.

"Dorochet…"

Then walked out a man with slicked back brown hair carrying a bayonet.

"…And Marta."

The blonde tank topped woman sauntered out, knife now worn around her belt.

Ed recognized them all immediately. The irony was threatening to cause him to burst into laughter. Noah just looked terrified.

And Al…

"Hey squirt…" Marta made a kissing motion in the air towards Al. "Small world, huh?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Full Metal Alchemist Fan Fiction**

**Snake**

By Kraven Ergeist

It took Ed a moment to register that Marta had just spoken in a rather familiar tone to his brother. It took him another moment to realize that, while that would have made sense in his old world, it should not have happened here, and he lost precious seconds wondering why. It took him a third moment to school his voice around the right type of suspicion – for the suspicion he felt now was of a completely different nature.

"You two know each other?" he asked, forcing the gasp of surprise in his throat to come out as a laugh. Ed crossed his arms, giving Marta a once over. Throwing a stern look to his brother, he smirked. "We've been in Paris all of two days, and you're already hitting up the local ladies?"

Marta seemed to find that comment amusing. Al just flinched, not understanding why his brother was teasing him at a time like this! It was Marta! Didn't he recognize her!? And her comrades!? And Greed!? And then, after his heart stopped thundering in his chest, it finally occurred to him that it would be a really stupid idea to act like they knew each of these people from another world. That simply would not do. Ed, typical genius that he was, was acting as he would as if they'd never seen these people before.

"It's not like that, Nii-san…" he mumbled, easily slipping into the role of guilty schoolboy. "That pickpocket from this afternoon…"

Once again, Ed needed a moment to compose his thoughts. His brother had been pick-pocketed by Marta, who for all he cared had been an enemy in a past life, but now, for all intents and purposes, was a part of a band of renegades who he desperately needed cooperation from.

"You pick-pocketed my brother?" Ed asked, already reaching the conclusion before his brother could finish.

Marta put her hands on her hips, giving Ed a look that said 'Yeah, what are you gonna do about it, punk?'

Ed grimaced. Oh, this situation just got better and better.

"Good. So you already have the front cash," Ed shrugged, smiling. He knew it was a risky shot to take, but he might as well play the negotiator. "That makes things easier. That money will be doubled upon successful completion of the mission."

Now everyone had their gaze fixed on Marta, who was now looking a lot less cocky about having mugged her would-be financier. Sheepishly, she pulled a wad of cash out of her tank top and tossed it to Geiz. Greed's look-alike flipped through the bills, frowning.

"This money…" he turned his eerie gaze to Edward. "It will be doubled, yes?"

Ed nodded. "Assuming it's all there – all five thousand marks my brother was carrying."

Geiz pursed his lips, turning his gaze back to the wad of dough. "_Five_ thousand?"

All eyes were once again on Marta.

Marta sighed and pulled out another wad of cash from her top and tossed it to Geiz.

Geiz caught the money. He looked pleased.

"You, lad…I like the way you do business…"

Ed smiled, nodding. It had worked! "You have your target, Geiz. I want it destroyed, and I want all of its plans burned along with it. I'll be straight with you – this is a dangerous job. Under normal circumstances, we'd handle things ourselves. But this is just too big for us to handle on our own. There's no guarantee any of you will survive. I sought you out because I'm convinced that you're the best. Don't make me regret this decision."

Geiz snorted, pocketed the money, and stood up straight. Like clockwork, the rest of the mercenaries, Marta included, mirrored his footwork.

"For the fatherland," Geiz said.

"_For the fatherland!_" the mercs repeated.

Ed had to stop himself from rolling his eyes as he knocked his heels together. "For the fatherland."

Geiz grinned that sickening grin that they were so familiar with, that grin that bared all his teeth like a dog about to enjoy a nice big juicy steak.

"We will contact you upon successful completion of the mission. Fall out!"

Al and Noah just watched nervously as the band of brigands disappeared into the woods. There was an awkward silence as they made their way back the other way through the park.

"Now, didn't you think it might have been important to tell me that the person who mugged you was _Marta_?" Ed railed his brother after they had been walking for a few minutes. "Our best shot at completing this mission, and we've already been jeopardized! We don't need Geiz's group thinking we're a bunch of pushovers! That kind of image leads people to thinking they can take advantage of us!"

Al flinched under his brother's harsh words. "I didn't know _she_ was going to be in the group you were hiring! I thought she was just a street urchin! I didn't think any good would come of dwelling on it!"

Noah bit her lip. "Ed, leave him alone."

Ed gritted his teeth. "Al, first thing after we complete this mission, you go back to your training! It's been too long since you've had to push yourself physically – it has for both of us, but the truth of the matter is, two years ago, you wouldn't have been caught off guard by a petty thief!"

"Petty!?"

The trio stopped in their tracks, jerking around to look behind them. Their eyes only confirmed what their ears had heard: Marta jumping down from her hiding place in the trees.

"I'll have you know…" the blonde merc smirked at the group, "I ran off with five thousand marks earlier today. That's hardly what I'd call petty." She locked eyes with Alphonse. "And hey, no hard feelings, kid. Honestly, if I had known we'd be doing business the night of, I'd have slowed up a little. Seriously, I might have even let you catch me."

She winked promiscuously in his direction, and Al felt himself blushing.

"Didn't your boss tell you to fall back?" Ed snapped, interrupting her playful banter.

Marta smirked. "Yes. He also told me to follow you guys home."

Ed blinked. He completely overlooked the feeling of nausea at being watched by this snake in favor of the feeling of confusion at her revealing it. "So why step out of the shadows?"

Marta's joking expression turned serious. "Because I have some questions to ask you – how do you know my name!? I should have no record on file. No one outside of my team knows who I am. How do _you_ know me?"

Ed shrugged. That was an easy cover. "We have our sources. You're not as much of a secret as you may think."

Marta spat. "Don't take me for an idiot! You're _not_ who you say you are either."

It was all Al and Noah could do not to flinch like kids with their hands caught in the cookie jar. Ed, for his part, just cocked a smile.

"I never said anything about who we are. Anonymity is a valuable tool. In point of fact, we know who you are, and you know nothing about us. Which gives _us_ the advantage."

Marta bristled. "Don't be thinking it's going to stay that way for too long."

Al fidgeted. "Nii-san…"

"What do you care?" Ed shot back. "Money is money, and you're just a mercenary. Take your pay, do the job, and get out of here. That's all you need to do."

Marta's eyes turned deadly. "You don't tell me what to do, you punk!"

Noah grabbed Ed's sleeve. "Ed…"

Ed ignored her. He slid out of his coat, removed his right glove and yanked back his sleeve, revealing his auto-metal arm before either of his companions could stop him.

"Nii-san!"

"Ed!"

Marta's eyes widened. Under the dim glow of the streetlights, most people wouldn't be able to make out the metal arm. But Marta had spent years training her eyes to see in dim light. She made out his arm perfectly.

"_Mein…gott…_"

Ed held his arm before him, twisting and turning his wrist and fingers, letting her take in as much detail as she could.

"Now listen to me very carefully…" Ed said gravely. "There are bigger things at stake here. This is just one step of many on the road to salvation. I don't have time to trifle with you. I've seen things you've only seen in your nightmares. I've taken people apart and put them back together again. I've witnessed mass murder, suicide, and genocide. I've seen peoples' bodies – my own included – turned inside out on themselves. I'd think again if you believe a bunch of mercenaries are going to get in my way."

Ed approached the merc girl, who actually took a step back, eyes wide.

"Why don't you go run and tell _that_ to you boss?"

Marta was gaping in shock. She took a few more steps back, not daring to take her eyes of the boy, before turning and dashing out of sight, not making a sound.

Ed pulled his coat back on.

"Ed, have you completely lost your mind?" Noah said, grapping him by the shoulders. "Why did you show her your arm!?"

"She was getting too curious," Ed said, eyes still turned to the ground. "So I showed her something that would more than satiate that curiosity. Now she'll think twice about digging too deep with us."

"Nii-san!" Al cringed. "She's going to tell Greed everything you told her! They're going to think you're some psycho! There's no way they'll do the job now!"

"Actually," Ed smiled, finally looking up. "I've just sealed the deal. They clearly doubted our allegiance before, but now they'll have no doubt that we're from the Third Reich."

"Why?" Al demanded. "Because they think you're some kind of cyborg now!?"

"Precisely," Ed grinned. "You don't think there's all kinds of crazy experiments going on at Auschwitz right now? There are rumors of everything from biochemical weapons to DNA manipulation. For all they know, I'm an experimental soldier working in secret for the Kaiser. Which means, I've been privy to some of the 'Fatherland's' deepest, darkest secrets. Which ranks me higher than any of them. So what if I'm a little quirky? It's to be expected."

"I'm worried about you, Ed," Noah said bitterly. "That wasn't an act just now. You _meant_ every word you just said to her."

"Sorry if my life has been a little freakish," Ed shrugged. "It was easy to act the part, I'll admit. But I was like this long before I met you, Noah. Trust me, I've dealt with it."

Noah glared, unconvinced. "Then why are you still seeking redemption!?"

Ed froze.

"This quest of yours to rid the world of dangerous technology isn't out of some ideal for a peaceful world!" Noah stammered, tears leaking from her eyes. "It's just you, trying to redeem yourself by making amends for your own misdeeds!"

All nodded. "She's right, Nii-san. You're trying to prevent others from making the same mistake we made. And because alchemy doesn't exist in this world, you're just shifting the blame to another form of science. But nothing any of us do is going to change what we've done in the past. We've learned our lesson, we've paid our price, and we've undone the mistakes we've made. You have to let it go."

"I _have_ let it go, God damn it!" Ed shouted, driving both his partners back. "Leave me alone! We already decided to do this, and we're going to go through with it! Not to makes amends, but to keep science from destroying the world! We have the knowledge, we have the understanding, and we have the _responsibility_!"

Both his companions withered under the outburst.

"Go on ahead," Ed growled, walking away. "I'm taking a walk."

"Ed…"

"Nii-san…"

"Just go!"

Ed disappeared from sight, leaving his two companions worried and confused.

"Shouldn't we go after him?" Noah asked, brow furrowed in anxiety.

Al shook his head. "He does this sometimes…just give him a few hours, he'll be back."

All began walking in the direction of the city. Noah followed nervously behind.

"But it's dangerous out here at night! What if he runs into trouble?"

Al shook his head. "Noah, you've never seen my brother like this. If someone comes after him, looking for trouble, they're going to _find_ it."

xxxxx

Edward eventually stumbled home – or at least, to the ramshackle heap that currently passed as home – sometime after three in the morning. Al was sound asleep by this time, but Ed had made it halfway to his bed when he realized he could make out Noah's unmistakably feminine shape silhouetted in the window. Though she wasn't looking at him, he could tell she had been waiting for him.

Wordlessly, he approached her, aware that he owed her an explanation, as much as he was aware that it would still be a while, possibly years before he would be able to give it.

Instead, he brought something that had been stirring in the back of his mind since the day she had joined his brother and him.

"Noah…?" he said softly, mindful not to wake his brother. "Are you…I mean…do you regret coming with us? Do you…wish you'd stayed with your own people?"

Noah was silent for a while, and for a moment, Ed wondered if she had been paying enough attention to him to have even heard his question, when she turned her eyes to his.

"Sometimes…" she voiced, a hint of sadness in her voice. "But this life suits me just fine. You and Al get into some pretty interesting messes. And besides…"

She smiled at him with a face bathed in moonlight.

"You need me, Edward. I know you do. And after everything you've done for me…I'm not willing to shirk that duty."

Although she was confident of this fact, Noah wondered if she was overstepping her bounds by voicing it. Before she could withdraw the statement, however, Ed surprised her by putting his arms around her in a rare display of affection.

"I'm trying, Noah…I'm trying really hard," he said softly, his voiced tinged with fear and regret. "I'm trying to make this world a better place…but in doing that, it's so easy to lose sight of the little things. Like taking care of my little brother…or making sure you're living comfortably…"

Noah found herself at a loss for words. She was so unused to this Edward that now spoke to her that she almost didn't respond.

Then she found her voice.

"It's fine, Ed…at least…I'm fine…" she commanded her arms to curl around his body and stroke his back affectionately. "Like I've said, I've kept far more people fed on a lot less than what we have."

Noah drew in her breath as she heard – and felt – Ed begin to laugh, in yet another rare display.

"Wh-what is it?" Noah asked, withdrawing to arms length to stare at his face, concern evident in her voice.

Ed wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh…you just remind me of someone I used to know…"

"Oh…" Noah's eyes darkened. Ed's past was always a touchy subject, especially where it concerned the people in it. "…Was she pretty?"

Ed gave her a peculiar look that she could not deduce. "Well…she looked a lot like you…so _very_ pretty…"

Noah felt herself blushing. "Oh…"

"But…even though she was so young, she acted like a mother to everyone she knew…" Ed's gazed drifted towards the cityscape that was the backdrop of their windowsill. "Always looking out for everyone…and making sure we were all going down the right path…"

Noah felt like she was seeing Ed for the first time, as the years evaporated from his harrowed brow. He suddenly looked very young, with hurt plainly visible on his face. She saw the enormous responsibility he felt, to her, to his brother, and to the world. She saw the horrors of the terrible sins he had witnessed. And she saw the weight of more than one such sin that he bore himself, after all this time.

And then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the look vanished and was replaced by the face that was now commonplace for her to see on the young man. A face with eyes that were anything but the loving gaze of the caring older brother she knew he was, and with a mouth that, even when it formed a smile, never curved past the point where the smile would be convincing.

"Sorry to bore you with my past," he said sardonically, as if what he had just recalled had not visibly shaken him. "We should both get some sleep."

He turned and strode hurriedly towards the room where he slept, though Noah quickly caught his hand in hers before he escaped her completely.

"Ed…" she voiced quietly, and before Ed could try to assure her that everything was alright, she was placing a gentle affectionate kiss on his forehead.

Ed's eyes widened, but he otherwise didn't react to the gesture.

"Goodnight…" Noah said soothingly, pulling away to give him the most reassuring smile she could offer.

Ed turned away, clearly finding it difficult to maintain eye contact with the entrancing gypsy girl. "G…Goodnight!" he blurted, a little too quickly, and practically ran off towards his room, whether driven our by embarrassment or painful reminiscence, Noah could not say.

She hoped it was the former.

She shut the window and slid silently into her own bed, trying not to think of the difficulty tomorrow would bring. If she had known exactly what was to take place the next day, sleep would not have come as easily to her as it did that night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Full Metal Alchemist Fan Fiction**

**Snake**

By Kraven Ergeist

Ed, Al and Noah stared at the smoldering ruins that had once been the 8th munitions bunker of La Defense. Everywhere, there were French Gendarmes and firemen scurrying to minimize the damage while a crowd of onlookers ogled beside the trio of mischief-makers outside the yellow caution lines.

"Tell you this much about Geiz," Ed muttered in a hushed voice. "He doesn't do anything halfway."

Al and Noah both wore worried expressions.

"Can we get out of here, Nii-san?" Al begged, eying the civilians as they responded in kind. "We don't exactly look like locals."

"I agree," Noah put in. "I'm used to standing out, but in our case, I think we ought to lay low."

Ed nodded, still focussed on the wreakage. "Yeah...I just had to see it for myself. I wish there were some way of telling if the tank survived the fire."

"What are we supposed to do, Nii-san?" Al asked, anxiously. "Go up and ask the Gendarmes if they managed to recover an experimental Schneider Chassis or any of the plans pertaining to it? Let's just wait for Geiz to contact us."

Ed nodded, finally turning his eyes away from the spectacle. "Yeah...it's a shame, I was half hoping to skip town on them."

"Best not to make enemies out of them," Noah admonished, forbodingly. "They're a dangerous group. This incident alone is proof of that. The last thing we need is a group like that chasing after us."

Ed conceded the point (and the remaining five thousand marks he had left in his pocket) and turned to walk off with his friends.

They were about halfway through the Bois de Boulogne, when Ed started grueling Al on the basics of hand-to-hand combat.

"Never show your back to your enemy," Ed said, rattling off their old sensei's list of dos and don'ts, the majority of which Al knew by heart but has since grown lax in practicing. "Never assume you've won the battle simply because your enemy is down."

Noah watched Ed with interest. This was a side to him she'd never seen before.

"Never throw your weapon at your enemy – in all likelihood, you'll just be giving your weapon away," Ed was reciting from memory, his eyes closed in thought. "Never forget that anything can be used as a weapon, even words. And above all, never ever be caught off guard."

CRASH!

Both Al and Noah were left staring at the space in the grass where Ed had once been standing. A cursory inspection told them two things. Ed was now flat on his back with a knife pointed at his neck. And that the bearer of the knife was a familiar blonde woman whom they'd met the night before.

And she didn't look happy.

"M…Marta?" Al stammered, while Noah just stared in shock.

Marta didn't even look up. Angry didn't even begin to scratch the surface - she was out of her mind ballistic!

"You!" she growled, fixing Ed with a deadly stare. "Whoever the fuck you really are…where's the rest of that money!?"

Ed's eyes were wide. He was just as surprised as Al and Noah, and hadn't even noticed that her knife had already cut the skin of his neck. "H-Here…" he stammered in stunned shock as he dug a trembling hand into his coat pocket, fishing out the remainder of their money, handing it to her.

Marta took the money in her free hand, letting go of her grip on Ed's shoulder, but with her knife still poised at his neck, he couldn't move anywhere. She stared at the wad of cash in her hand as if she didn't know what to do with it, like she hadn't expected him to actually pay up, or like she was wondering whether it was enough.

"It's all there…" Ed assured her. "You guys did a great job…"

Marta seemed to snap and her eyed nearly bugged out of her head at him. "Job? _Job_!?_ I'm the only one who _survived _the __job_, _you asshole_!!"

Ed's eyes dilated and his jaw dropped. "…What?"

"They're _dead_!" Marta screamed. "My team is _dead_! Every single one of them is _fucking dead_!"

Al was dumbstruck. Noah looked horrified. Ed seemed to suddenly noticed the knife that was very nearly decapitating him.

"Now look…" he said, putting both hands on the wrist of the hand that held the blade. "I told you last night it would be a dangerous job, and there'd be a chance you might die. You could have turned it down. You could have walked away. You had every chance to avoid what happened last night. But you didn't."

"_Shut up_!" Marta screamed yanking away from him, stomping around and shaking her head. "_Shut up_!_ Shut up_!"

She dropped into German and began spouting off curses. Noah and Al were at Ed's side the moment Marta was off him.

"Equivalent exchange…" Ed breathed, brushing himself off. "You took a risk, and you paid the price. That's the way the world works."

Marta's knife was still in her hand, and her grip on it tightened as she turned back towards Ed.

"And just what did Geiz die for!?" she demanded. "I know damn well you're not working for the Kaiser, so who the fuck are you working for!? What cause did Geiz sacrifice his life for!?"

Ed met her fierce gaze with a look of determination. "We work for no one. We're on a mission to rid the modern world of technology like the Schneider Chassis that would only be used in war. Science should not go to the further development of weapons, it should be used to help mankind."

For a moment, Marta's face lost all ferocity and was replaced with a look of absolute disbelief. "Peace-mongers? My whole fucking team died to help a bunch of _peace-mongers_!?"

Al and Noah drew back, expecting that to be the last straw. Ed, however, stood his ground.

"Do you have any idea why half the world isn't in flames right now!?" Ed shot back. "Do you have any idea what a nuclear bomb is capable of? Science nearly developed a weapon that can reduce entire cities to rubble in matter of minutes! If we hadn't stopped that weapon from being introduced to the ruling powers of the world, the entire world might have been thrown back to the stone age by now!"

Marta was still glare, but the murderous intent was no longer there. "I don't give a shit about your reasoning, you fucker. Geiz is dead. Bido…Loa…Dirochet…they're all dead!"

Marta looked like she was on the verge of tears.

It was Al who spoke up. "We're…we're sorry for your loss, Marta…"

Marta's gaze snapped up to fix her eyes on the boy who had spoken to her. Who was this runt to think that a simple apology would…?

Al's eyes spoke for themselves. She could see genuine regret on his face. He could see true, honest sympathy for the pain she now felt. It was a look that told her that if anything could be done to reverse what had been done, he would do it in a heartbeat. Such sweetness. Such pure hearted kindness. Such naiveté.

What good would it do to kill this boy's brother before his eyes? Would that bring back Geiz? It would just traumatize the boy, and it would make her feel unbearably guilty on top of everything that's happened. His look of horror would embed itself in her mind almost as deeply as the image of Geiz turning back to cover her retreat, and…

She looked away.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Marta said, her tone now desperate and…was that loneliness he heard in her voice? "Geiz gave me everything. My career, my home, my life…without him, I have nothing. What am I supposed to do now that he's gone!?"

Everyone was still for a moment as if they were expected to answer.

Noah put her hand on Ed's shoulder, and he glanced back at her.

"Hmmm?"

Noah looked at him expectantly.

Ed just blinked. "What?"

Al came to the same notion and put his hand on Ed's other shoulder. "Nii-san…please? It's the least we can do…"

Ed gaped at both of them incredulously as Marta just stared at them curiously.

"Oh, come on!" Ed blared, turning to make sure his companions weren't pulling his leg. When he saw the serious looks on his face, he whispered. "You actually think she'd…?" he motioned to the three of them.

Al looked insecure. "It's worth a try…"

Noah tugged at his sleeve. "Ed, please…we have to do this for her…"

Ed shook his head. "No way…the minute we turn our back on her…"

"She was trustworthy enough on the other side, Nii-san…" Al reminded him. "And we could use her help."

"She's a completely different person from the girl you knew, Al!" Ed hissed. "Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment."

Al crossed his arms. "Nii-san…"

"Hey!" Marta called out to them. "What exactly are you plotting over there!?"

Before Ed could stop him, Al stepped past him and looked Marta in the eye.

"You asked us what you were to do now…and I thought that maybe you wouldn't mind working with us."

Marta's expression didn't change. "Work with _you_?"

Ed cringed. Noah bit her lip.

Al nodded. "You've got nothing left to tie you anywhere, and we could use someone with your skill. We have a source of income, we have resources, we have contacts, we have food… This is the only way I can think of for us to make this up to you. And whether or not you choose to accept it, what happened to Geiz was not our doing. There's really no reason for us to be enemies. And if you don't want to work with us, we can still put you in contact with someone who would be glad to employ an ex-_Reichsheer_. I think you'd be better off with a group, if nothing else, so you have someone watching your back."

Ed was gaping at his younger brother, at a loss for words. Noah, on the other hand, was giving him a look that came very close to pride.

Marta, for her part, just stared at the youngster as she took in his words. It was impossible to tell whether she was elated, insulted, or just found the idea amusing. At that moment, she could easily turn and walk away, burst into laughter, or start on a killing rampage, and it would not have come as a surprise.

Finally, she spoke.

"I want a thousand marks a day."

Ed stepped in. "This isn't a negotiation, lady-"

"Five hundred," Al cut his brother off. "Plus three meals a day. And your own bed to sleep in whenever we're in a residential area."

Ed fixed Al with an annoyed look. "You don't call the shots here, Al!"

"Done," Marta said unceremoniously, and sheathed her knife. "Unless your brother wants me to leave?"

Al was staring at his elder brother with a mixture of determination and expectation. Ed nearly overcame his brothers pleading look, when Noah took his shoulder.

Ed stared at his two companions and sighed. "Fine…" looking back at the woman he had, in another life, known to be a snake chimera, he groaned. "Will you give us your word you won't kill us in our sleep?"

Marta rolled her eyes. "What would be the point? If I don't like the way things go, I'll be gone. I won't leave any trace behind. That'll be it."

Ed massaged his temples. "Alright, alright…looks like my decision has been made for me. We've got everything of ours packed up – we figured we might have to leave in a hurry. Do you have any stashes anywhere you need to grab before we head out?"

Marta shook her head.

"Alright then…" Ed said, a wry smile on his face. "Let's see how far this can go…"

xxxxx

"Three square meals" obviously meant a dinner out of a can to Alphonse Elric, as the crew sat around a fire by the side of the dirt road they had been hitchhiking on, sharing a can of processed meat and potatoes (the variety of both unknown). Marta was sitting by the road, keeping her distance from the group.

"I hope she's alright…" Al said worriedly, warming his hands over his bowl.

Ed picked at his food absently. "You'd think a cold blooded snake would try to stay close to the warmth of the fire…" he observed metaphorically, glancing towards the newest addition to their group.

Noah handed Al a second steaming bowl of food. "Maybe she just needs a different kind of warmth…" she smiled, motioning to Marta with a nod of her head.

Al took the hint and got up to bring the bowl to the blonde haired soldier girl.

He set it down next to her. Though he knew she noticed him, she made no movement to indicate it. Al waited for a response, before sitting down next to her, spooning his own bowl.

"Did you…" Al fumbled for something to break the ice. "Did you love him?"

As soon as the words were out, he wished he could have taken them back. It sounded so impetuous, so...god, he must be so transparent!

Marta gave him a look that was both angered and disgusted.

"Geiz was more of a man than any of you could imagine," she snapped, not even paying attention to the food he'd laid out for her. "He gave me my life back. He gave us all our lives back. All of us were left homeless and jobless after the war was over. When Geiz brought us all together to try to eke a living out of the new world, and maybe deal a blow to Germany's enemies while he was at it…well, we all leapt at the chance."

Marta finally noticed the bowl of food, and grabbed it, eating unhesitatingly.

"Loa used to be a front lineman in the war. Dorochet was a tactician, Bido was a munitions expert, and I was a scout. We were all soldiers who would fight and die for the Fatherland, and it tried to bury and forget us when it turned out they didn't need us anymore," she went on, gulping down mouthfuls of food hungrily. "But Geiz…he saw our skill. He knew that with our combined talents, not only would we be equal to any challenge the world threw at us, but we would show the world what the fatherland was capable of."

Marta's tone grew softer.

"But he also gave us a home…he gave us…each other. He was like a father to us, and he made us into a family. And now he's gone. Like the rest of them…"

Al could have sworn he saw something on Marta's face that glinted in the moonlight.

He sat a little closer.

"Our…my brother and I…our mother died when were little…and we thought al…science could bring her back…" Al confided, not daring to look at her. "We thought that we were smart enough to make it work. We had no idea how stupid we were…"

Al could feel Marta's eyes on him, but she kept quiet.

"My brother lost his arm and his leg in the process…that's where his metal arm comes from. Me…I lost a lot more…"

Al sighed, not wanting to elaborate.

"We ended up creating…something horrible. Something that…looked…talked…and acted like her. But it wasn't. It…she…tried to kill us both."

Al shuddered, clutching his knees to his chest.

"For the longest time, I had no memory of the incident. But little by little, bits and pieces started coming back, and now…now, I can see it, clear as day…"

He didn't know why he was telling her all this. Because she deserved to know? Because he wanted her sympathy? Because he hoped that, if he told her enough about their life in that world, she would become more like the Marta he knew?

"I understand," he concluded, "what it is to lose family, and to want nothing more than to bring them back. But in the end, humans are just flesh and bones, a suit of armor for our feeble souls to wear. Once it's gone…our souls don't survive. Nothing can change that. Nothing can be given in exchange for a soul lost to the void. Not even your own life."

Al felt himself crying, and he wiped away his tears.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't pile all that on you like this…"

He started to get to his feet.

"How do you know me, Al?" Marta asked in a tone Al had never heard her use before. "Really? No stranger is this open and honest, not in today's world. Why do you…trust me so much?"

Al jerked visibly, spilling some of his dinner. Maybe he had said too much – this was not a topic he wanted to be discussing with her. If he told her the truth, she would think he was crazy. But maybe if he put a spin on it…

"You remind me of a girl I once knew…" he said, not letting her see the lie in his eyes. "She died. I could have saved her, but it happened too fast for me to react in time. Ever since then, I've been wondering if I could ever save anyone, if I could be trusted with anyone's life…if I'd ever forgive myself. I know…I know you're not that girl, Marta, but I…"

He trailed off when he felt Marta's hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see her smiling at him. Actually smiling again.

"You're a weird kid, Al…" she winked. "But you've got a good heart. You want my advice? Don't hang around a girl like me longer than you have to. I've seen some pretty rough things, and I wouldn't want that heart of yours to break because of me."

Al managed a clumsy smile in return.

"My life hasn't been all peaches and cream either, Marta." He knew he was blushing. "It'll take more than that to get me down…and I don't care what you say, I'm really glad that you decided to join us…"

Marta kept smiling as the two of them walked over to where the others were sitting by the campfire.


	4. Chapter 4

**Full Metal Alchemist Fan Fiction**

**Snake**

By Kraven Ergeist

The group made it across the French/German border without so much as a single fight breaking out between them, though Marta still didn't so much as give Edward the time of day. She regarded him with a cold kind of distrust that one gives an employer that they know is constantly watching them for anything they might interpret as treachery.

As for the gypsy girl, Marta had decided she was just along for the ride. She really didn't seem to buy into Edward's self-righteous beliefs. She was just there to make sure everyone was well fed. And as overt as she was in her affections towards the brat, Marta had lost her appetite on more than one occasion.

Alphonse, on the other hand, was a different matter. She was learning more about him each day. For one thing, while he was fiercely devoted towards his brother, and seemed to agree with his beliefs, Al had a much more realistic concept of what could and could not be done about it. Right off the bat, he had told her that his real name was Elric, not Heidrich as his photo ID claimed, which had surprised Marta a bit. It was the first thing she had noticed the group had done right, as far as being covert was concerned. Though she could tell he was still hiding some great shame, she couldn't deduce what it was. After all, he'd already admitting to trying to bring his mother back to life. Marta would have assumed he had turned to some hokey occult practice, but Al kept insisting he had only relied on "science," though he seemed to tiptoe around the term whenever he brought it up in relation to his past. And she was noticing that he was using the word "armor" as a metaphor in a lot of his explanations…

Tonight marked their first night in an actual hotel, and true to their word, Noah and Marta both got the only two beds that were offered, while the two young men spread their bedrolls on the floor. But before sleeping arrangements could be made, a much more important matter had to be addressed.

"What do you mean, I have to help pay for groceries?" Marta blurted when Ed explained the situation. "You guy's promised three meals a day. This money is mine!"

Ed grumbled crossing his arms – in this, he still looked like such a kid. "Listen lady, we don't have any money on hand right now. We can pay you back later, but right now, you're holding all our funds."

Al scratched his head. "And besides…do you really want to eat canned _brunswager_, _again_? I don't know about you, but I'd personally like some real food about now."

Marta blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Tough. You guys can stay here and eat your trail rations. If you're not going to meet your end of the bargain, then I'll go out and get myself my own food."

Both boys held out a hand to stop her from walking out of the hotel room, but it was Noah who got her to stop.

"Marta, be reasonable. You know how hard things are for everyone out there. You can look outside that window, and you'll see food lines that stretch for blocks on end. I don't know how things were run in your old group, but they had to have been reasonable enough to share resources with their comrades when food was scarce."

Marta turned on the gypsy girl, giving her a stern look. "First of all, you're _not_ my comrades. And secondly, don't _ever_ presume that you know a _thing_ about how my group ran things. The way I was raised, only the strongest survived. Sure we looked out for each other, but we also didn't go easy one each other. We had to learn how to be tough, otherwise we wouldn't have made it."

Noah nodded, ceding but unperturbed. "You're right, we're not your comrades. We aren't nearly as strong as they were, Marta, not by a great margin. And as determined and hardy as we are, we can't live on gruel forever. But we are your fiends, and if you give us the chance, we'll prove to you that we can be relied on as friends…but only if we know that we can rely on you."

Marta pursed her lip, not angry, but clearly annoyed. In all truth, she had no objections in parting with a little of her cash to help feed Noah and Al. They were decent people and it wasn't like she was hurting for money.

But that Edward…

Marta pouted. "Dinner. That's it. After that, I want to start seeing some of that five hundred a day I was promised."

Al and Noah looked pleased, while Ed looked annoyed, but at the same time, like he knew that any more negotiating would lose this small victory. "That'll be easy. We'll reach Munich by day's end tomorrow. I'll make another transaction with my partner and you'll be repaid in full."

"Whatever," Marta snorted, turning to go. "Just don't expect anymore favor's from me."

xxxxx

The group made their way through crowds of desolate civilians, before they finally made it out of the ghetto where their hotel stood. The difference in environment was stifling, as suddenly, automobiles became much more prevalent in the streets, and street vendors sold fancy clothing, expensive jewelry, fine food and rich ale.

Ed, Al, Noah and Marta eventually wound up in one of the taverns that brewed some of the finest beer in Germany, or so they claimed. Noah wasn't terribly keen on the idea of introducing alcohol to the all too volatile group, but she was outvoted three to one, as the two brothers and the soldier girl hadn't had a decent drink in days.

"Barkeep! Another round!" Ed hollered, lifting his empty mug for the third time that night as Marta knocked back a pint of her own. Al was still on his second round, and was already feeling a little foggy. He looked down at the fair provided by the tavern keepers – a delectable selection of steaming bratwurst and knockwurst served with mustard and sauerkraut that absolutely rivaled the _brunswager_ they had been eating on the trail. In truth, he had been a little nervous about how Marta would be after a few drinks – after all, she had almost killed his brother once before, and that had been when she'd been sober.

His fears were averted however, when he saw the two of them both red faced and carrying pints of ale, laughing along with one another as they both listened to an older man at the head of the table was telling them a story they would have never given credence to sans alcohol.

Al breathed a sigh of relief, and noticed Noah hadn't touched her mug, though she was digging into the meats with considerable fervor.

"Aren't you thirsty?" Al asked, blinking a few times to clear his vision.

Noah gave her pint a sour look. "Alcohol only serves to dull the senses. Common practice among Roma is to steer clear of any form of drink least we fall victim to thieves and predators."

Al couldn't think of a reason to deny her. The only reason he was drinking was to quench his thirst, and it was already having noticeable affects. Besides, with her gift of truth seeing, alcohol probably wasn't the best idea.

"The tavern must have something to drink besides beer," Al reasoned, looking around for the tavern keeper.

Noah shrugged. "I asked for water three times. The waiter barely spared me a glance." She tried to hide her displeasure, but Al had seen the look all too often to miss it. "It's because I'm Roma. People don't usually associate with us more than they need to. Don't worry. I'm used to it."

Al winced, and intent on remedying this situation, looked for his brother. He found him eventually – Ed and Marta had begun to sing along with a group of lederhosen-clad merchants, waving their mugs in the air.

"Nii-san…" Al barely managed to obtain his brother's attention. "Nii-san, I need to talk to you!"

Ed glanced down at him, cheeks red. "Put a lid on it, Al! We're teaching these folks how to dance!"

Al hesitated for a few seconds as he realized that his arm was linked with Marta's, who was preoccupied with downing her fourth (or was it fifth?) pint that evening.

"Nii-san…it's Noah," Al said in a lowered voice. "The tavern keeper won't even give her a glass of water because she's Roma."

That brought Ed back to the present. He unwrapped his arm from Marta's and stomped off towards the bar area where soon-to-be-less-confident looking bartender looked up to see what he wanted.

Al didn't get to prevent his brother from injuring the tavern keeper, or so much as bear witness, as her lack of a dance partner caused Marta to seize the next available arm – namely, his own – and start up another course of the jig that the old man (who had suddenly produced a mandolin) was playing. Two more middle-aged men produced a fiddle and flute, and soon, the entire tavern was filled with lively folk dancers, and Al, unwitting as he was, became engulfed in the fray.

The music and pounding of feet became a blur of noise that even drowned out Ed's creative usage of curse words as he swore at the tavern keeper who, despite having already poured the gypsy girl's glass, was still being verbally lashed within an inch of his life.

Al stopped fighting the rapid flow of the dancing crowd and instead found himself staring at Marta's smiling face. Her cheeks were flushed red, her eyes were closed in hysteria, and she seemed completely lost in the moment. She was a totally different person now, chipper and giddy, without a care in the world. She seemed so happy now, and it made Al feel good inside to know that despite all that's happened to her, despite how different she was from the woman he'd known, how much angrier…that she could still smile like this.

A few patrons got shoved and a few bottles shattered, and that was all it took for the lively and jolly song and dance routine to turn into an all-out brawl.

The fiddler, flutist and mandolin player acted like they didn't know anything was amiss (or maybe, to them, nothing was) and kept playing, all the while chairs were thrown and punches were flying, and the tavern keeper was throwing an absolute fit.

Suddenly, Al felt a fist connect with his face, and he tasted blood a split second before the floor suddenly came up and cracked him on the head. His vision became blurred for a second, but when his eyes stopped spinning, he could swear he saw Marta beating up patrons left and right.

Then he felt a pair of strong arms lift him on, and place him over their shoulders and then he felt the cold night air as he was carried out of the bar.

xxxxx

"What a nightmare…" Noah groaned as she followed behind Marta, each with their respective burdens. While it made perfect sense for the stronger of the two women (Marta) to be carrying the heavier of the two men (Ed), it was pretty clear to Noah that Marta would just as soon leave Ed to pay the tab. Though she seemed to have no problem carrying Al…

"What?" Marta smirked. "That was fun! Besides, we managed to sneak off without having to pay our tab. I'd call this a night well spent."

Noah huffed. "Still…both Ed and Al got hurt, and if you and I weren't so lucky, we could have too. Then who'd be left paying the tab?"

Ed had been halfway through his drunken rant with the tavern keeper when the brawl had broken out, and when the bartender had insisted on addressing this issue, Ed had protested. The result had been a bloodied nose.

"Hey, I can hold my own in a fight," Marta smirked, unperturbed. "It's not my fault you all are a bunch of pansies."

"Part of your job is to keep us safe from these kinds of situations," Noah pouted. "Not start them."

Marta just blew at the strand of her hair that dangled in front of her face. "Hey, I didn't start that fight. And if it hadn't been for me, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum here might have had more than a few bruises and a bloody nose."

Noah wanted to refute the blonde woman, but she couldn't. Truth be told, Noah had been hiding with an unconscious Edward below the table, searching for the safest way out for most of the fight. Marta had managed to clear a path for them to get clear before the local police could arrive to settle the matter.

"I suppose you're right…" Noah ceded, grudgingly. "Thank you."

Marta smiled contently, hiking the unconscious Alphonse over her shoulder.

They made it to the hotel room, and deposited their respective cargo onto the bedrolls on the floor. Without preamble, Marta dashed out the window, climbing the sill to the roof, leaving Noah to tend to the two boys.

Somewhat aggravated, Noah tucked the two boys in as best as she could, before changing out of her clothes. Exhausted and stressed out, she went to sleep, leaving Marta to fend for herself. The girl was obviously capable.

xxxxx

Marta showed up a few hours later, now twice as drunk, and twice as frustrated. After hitting three separate bars around town, it seemed the only thing men cared about around here was how long a girl's hair was! Apparently, she was too "tomboyish," whatever that meant. She had found herself quite a few rather eager looking young lads, before losing them to some saucy looking skank with locks down to their back and a skirt that barely concealed her thighs. One even had hair down to her hips.

Marta was tempted to cut Noah's hair short out of spite, but decided not to go through with the plan on grounds that she couldn't _find_ Noah, much less her own feet, as she stumbled into the first bed she came across.

As luck would have it, that bed had belonged to Alphonse.

The boy was still too drunk for that much disturbance to wake him from unconsciousness, and Marta was too tired to get up and get into her own bed, and was feeling too tipsy to even care at this point. Maybe if he were awake, the boy would have even been a good fuck, at least until she managed to convince the sorry lads in this town what a real woman was made out of.

Her frustration still unrelenting, she wrapped her arms around the still being beside her. At least she could make the most out of the situation, and the boy was certainly warm. Maybe, one of these days, she'd test the waters with him. He certainly seemed fond of her, and he was a much better choice than that Edward fellow (though, in his defense, Ed was a much better drinking partner).

It was easy enough to tell that both boys were virgins. The way Ed danced around Noah's obvious flirtations, the way Alphonse pretended not to be flirting with her. In Ed's case, it was annoying as hell, but in Al's case…it was kind of cute…

She sighed as sleep began to take hold of her, pressing her body lithely against Al's.

It might be fun to break him in one of these days…

xxxxx

No one was happy that morning.

Noah had all but flung Al and Marta out of the bedroll when she saw the two of them snuggling under the covered.

"What in God's name do you think you're _doing_!?" she blared, waking Edward (and probably the whole floor) in the process.

Alphonse, for his part, just gritted his teeth in no small amount of pain as gravity suddenly kicked in, making his head spin. Between the amount of alcohol leaving his brain the hard way and the bruises and bumps lining his skull from the night before, he suddenly caught himself missing the days where he had just been a suit of armor. So when he saw the blonde girl lying in his bedroll, clad in little more than her undergarments, blinking sleepily up at him, he had no troubling believing that he was simply hallucinating.

"Noah, tell me we have some coffee brewing," Al said without concern. "I had more than I should have last night, and I'm seeing things."

"Hate to break it to you Al," mumbled Ed, as he stumbled to the toilet. "You're not seeing things."

It took a few seconds for Al to register the implications of what had just been said, when he turned to see Marta stretching languidly, the her bra strap hanging loosely on one shoulder.

"Hey there, handsome," she winked, unable to resist the urge to tease the boy. It wasn't the worst hangover she'd ever had.

"M-M-Marta!?" Al gaped, pointing stupidly at her. "Wh-what are you doing in my bed!?"

"You don't remember?" Marta chuckled in delight. "You were an absolute stallion."

Noah and Al just gaped red-faced as Marta casually got out of the bedroll, adjusted her undergarments, and began getting dressed.

"Alphonse Elric!" Noah blared, seizing the boy by the ear. "Just what did you and this woman _do_ last night!?"

"I-I-I…" Al stammered, trying to remember exactly what went on.

"They didn't do _anything_," Ed stuck his head out of the bathroom with a toothbrush dangling from his mouth. "Marta just came in late last night and fell asleep in the wrong bed. She's just teasing him."

Marta crossed her arms. "Sure, spoil my fun…"

Noah gaped, flabbergasted, as she pointed at Marta. "You mean…you didn't…?"

Marta rolled her eyes. "Don't you think you would have heard us if we had? Besides, I never put out on a first date. And considering how quickly both of them got knocked out last night, I think it's pretty clear that neither of our two 'men' even qualify for the term."

Al felt a surge of relief hit him – yes, that explanation made much more sense. But he also felt…was he…disappointed, somehow?

"How…how did you know, Ed?" Noah asked, not trusting the woman to her word.

"_Hello_ - genius here," Ed said, pointing to his temple. "Also, I was awake when she came stumbling in last night. What were you doing out at that hour, anyway?"

Marta shrugged. "Just out, looking for some fun. God knows you guys aren't any fun – can't even handle a few drinks!"

"Well, excuse me if we're not total party animals like you," Ed scowled.

Marta was about to retort, but Al caught her attention.

"So…nothing happened?"

Marta laughed, trying not to let his hurt look affect her. Was he hurt because she had teased him, or because they _hadn't_ done anything after all?

"Why, would you have liked there to be?" Marta winked, suggestively. "If you ask me, you should at least be able to _remember_ your first time. That's what makes it so special, you know?"

Al just blushed.

Before anything more could be said, Noah interposed herself. "Ok, that's quite enough you two. Let's get something to eat, and pack up. We're already late setting out as it is."

Al snapped to attention. "Yes ma'am!"

Marta laughed as Al bustled through their luggage to find their trail rations – at least the hotel room had a stove to heat some water in.

Noah flashed a protective look Marta's way. "Let's try not to make a habit out of this."

Marta snorted. "Just because you're not making any progress in your field doesn't mean I can't make any progress in mine."

Noah's eyes widened as Marta's full meaning came through to her, and she turned her head away, hiding her blush behind her hair. "Why must you be so shameless about it?"

Marta smiled. "Because there's nothing to be ashamed of. Why does a gypsy care so much about the opinion of others? I thought you'd be an expert at doing what you wanted without concern for the people around you."

Noah scowled. "Excuse me for wanted to change all that. Excuse me for wanting to live a decent life."

Marta crossed her arms, but had nothing to say to that, and looked away.

By now, Al had a pot of porridge boiling and was passing out bowls. Everyone sat down to eat in silence, although many looks were passed between them. Both Ed and Noah gave looks of reassurance to Al, and scowls of annoyance at Marta, who responded in kind to them. Al kept glancing nervously at Marta, still wondering at her meaning. And whenever Marta looked back at him, she would only wink, and send his emotions into further disarray.

Oh, but it was so fun to tease and torment the boy. And despite herself, she was starting to grow fond of him. Sure, he may not be a 'stallion' per se if they ever got around to that sort of thing, but who knew? It had been a while since someone looked at her with genuine care the way he did. The life of a soldier was a hard one, especially for women. Too many men were only interested in bodies, and there were many bodies that were more desirable than hers, she knew that much. Why Alphonse was so interested in her was still a mystery to her. And she was determined to find out.

One way or another.

xxxxx

To Be Continued…


End file.
